Minnesota’s many restaurants provide endless opportunities to grab a good bite to eat. Whether you’re craving pizza, burgers, steak, or something else entirely, you’ll find it here. But sometimes, you just don’t know what you crave. That’s when it’s a great idea to go to a restaurant that is known for one famous dish. It takes the guesswork out of perusing the menu, and you’re guaranteed an amazing meal. The nine restaurants below are each known for a single menu item. When you visit the restaurants, we advise that you try their famous item at least once! Check it out:
- Matt’s Bar - Minneapolis
Chad T/TripAdvisor
Katie Adams/Google Matt’s Bar might just be one of the most famous places to grab a bite in Minnesota. Their famous Jucy Lucy - a delicious, melted cheese-filled burger - is one of the only items on their small menu. It’s so good that this spot often has a line going out the door!
- Lindey’s Prime Steak House - Arden Hills
Shawn Prestridge/Google
Kathleen DeLeonais/Google Lindey’s is a longstanding spot known for its delicious prime rib. In fact, it’s one of the only things on the menu! A prime steak platter also comes with hash browned potatoes, garlic bread, salad, and pickled watermelon rind. It’s seriously delicious.
- Brass Rail - Grandy
Danette Grimsrud-Walsh/Google
Brass Rail/Google Small town Grandy, Minnesota, is home to Brass Rail, an unassuming spot with a surprisingly big following. People come for miles for the mouthwatering broasted chicken. Served with coleslaw, toast, and your choice of potato, this perfectly crisp chicken is a meal you won’t soon forget.
- Smack Shack - Minneapolis
Smack Shack/Google
Mark Lungre/Google Minnesota may be about as far from the ocean as you can get, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t amazing seafood to be had here! There are plenty of amazing options here, but one standout favorite is the lobster roll. Chilled lobster salad is served with cucumber and tarragon on griddled milk bread alongside a pile of Cajun fries. Trust us, this is a meal you won’t soon forget.
- Red’s Savoy - Twin Cities
Tim Steffens/Google
Tim Steffens/Google There are many pizza chains in the Twin Cities - and in Minnesota s a whole - but few make a Minnesota-style pizza quite as good as the one at Red’s Savoy. The dough is cracker-thin and spread with sauce, plenty of cheese, and loads of toppings. Once baked, the pizza is cut into squares. It’s a uniquely Minnesotan pizza style, and it’s absolutely delicious.
- Tavern on Grand - St. Paul
Steve Nieckarz/Google
Tavern on Grand/Google Time and again, Tavern on Grand has been recognized for its amazing walleye sandwiches. You can get yours blackened, grilled, or deep-fried. All are topped with lettuce, tomato, and tartar and served on a toasted ciabatta bun. As soon as you take a bite, you’ll understand why so many flock to this restaurant.
- Quang Restaurant - Minneapolis
Matt Lingerfelt/Google
AVI UD/Google Did you know that the Twin Cities is a hotbed of amazing Vietnamese food? There are many outstanding restaurants that serve up amazing banh mi, pho, and more. One favorite of many is the longstanding Quang Restaurant. This unassuming spot is especially known for its pho. You can load your broth with beef, chicken, seafood, or veggies - or all of the above. It makes for a hearty, warm, perfectly slurpable meal that you’ll keep coming back for.
- Trail Center Lodge - Grand Marais
Liz JA/Google
Trail Center Lodge/Facebook Way up on northern Minnesota’s Gunflint Trail, you may expect fish to be the big-ticket item for nearby restaurants. And it’s true that many do serve up amazing seafood. But the Trail Center Lodge is most known for its enormous, bigger-than-your-plate pancakes. Stop in and see if you can come close to finishing this behemoth breakfast.
- Cornerstone Cafe - Monticello
Michael Swiecichowski/Google
Thomas B. Myers/Google Wild rice soup is a state favorite, and you can find an amazing example of it at Cornerstone Cafe in Monticello. This flavorful, creamy soup has been recognized as the best in the state by local media! If you’re craving hot, delicious Minnesota comfort food, this is the place.
Have you been to any of these restaurants and tried their famous dish? Let us know what you thought in the comments! For more iconic Minnesota foods, check out our past article about 10 famous restaurants in Minnesota that you have to try at least once.
Chad T/TripAdvisor
Katie Adams/Google
Matt’s Bar might just be one of the most famous places to grab a bite in Minnesota. Their famous Jucy Lucy - a delicious, melted cheese-filled burger - is one of the only items on their small menu. It’s so good that this spot often has a line going out the door!
Shawn Prestridge/Google
Kathleen DeLeonais/Google
Lindey’s is a longstanding spot known for its delicious prime rib. In fact, it’s one of the only things on the menu! A prime steak platter also comes with hash browned potatoes, garlic bread, salad, and pickled watermelon rind. It’s seriously delicious.
Danette Grimsrud-Walsh/Google
Brass Rail/Google
Small town Grandy, Minnesota, is home to Brass Rail, an unassuming spot with a surprisingly big following. People come for miles for the mouthwatering broasted chicken. Served with coleslaw, toast, and your choice of potato, this perfectly crisp chicken is a meal you won’t soon forget.
Smack Shack/Google
Mark Lungre/Google
Minnesota may be about as far from the ocean as you can get, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t amazing seafood to be had here! There are plenty of amazing options here, but one standout favorite is the lobster roll. Chilled lobster salad is served with cucumber and tarragon on griddled milk bread alongside a pile of Cajun fries. Trust us, this is a meal you won’t soon forget.
Tim Steffens/Google
There are many pizza chains in the Twin Cities - and in Minnesota s a whole - but few make a Minnesota-style pizza quite as good as the one at Red’s Savoy. The dough is cracker-thin and spread with sauce, plenty of cheese, and loads of toppings. Once baked, the pizza is cut into squares. It’s a uniquely Minnesotan pizza style, and it’s absolutely delicious.
Steve Nieckarz/Google
Tavern on Grand/Google
Time and again, Tavern on Grand has been recognized for its amazing walleye sandwiches. You can get yours blackened, grilled, or deep-fried. All are topped with lettuce, tomato, and tartar and served on a toasted ciabatta bun. As soon as you take a bite, you’ll understand why so many flock to this restaurant.
Matt Lingerfelt/Google
AVI UD/Google
Did you know that the Twin Cities is a hotbed of amazing Vietnamese food? There are many outstanding restaurants that serve up amazing banh mi, pho, and more. One favorite of many is the longstanding Quang Restaurant. This unassuming spot is especially known for its pho. You can load your broth with beef, chicken, seafood, or veggies - or all of the above. It makes for a hearty, warm, perfectly slurpable meal that you’ll keep coming back for.
Liz JA/Google
Trail Center Lodge/Facebook
Way up on northern Minnesota’s Gunflint Trail, you may expect fish to be the big-ticket item for nearby restaurants. And it’s true that many do serve up amazing seafood. But the Trail Center Lodge is most known for its enormous, bigger-than-your-plate pancakes. Stop in and see if you can come close to finishing this behemoth breakfast.
Michael Swiecichowski/Google
Thomas B. Myers/Google
Wild rice soup is a state favorite, and you can find an amazing example of it at Cornerstone Cafe in Monticello. This flavorful, creamy soup has been recognized as the best in the state by local media! If you’re craving hot, delicious Minnesota comfort food, this is the place.
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Address: Matt’s Bar and Grill, 3500 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407, USAAddress: Tavern on Grand, 656 Grand Ave, St Paul, MN 55105, USAAddress: Trail Center At Poplar Lake, 7611 Gunflint Trail, Grand Marais, MN 55604, USAAddress: Lindey’s Prime Steak House, 3600 Snelling Ave N, Arden Hills, MN 55112, USAAddress: 154 W Broadway St, Monticello, MN 55362, USAAddress: The Brass Rail, 36868 MN-65, Grandy, MN 55029, USAAddress: Smack Shack, 603 N Washington Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401, USAAddress: 2719 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408, USAAddress: Red’s Savoy Pizza, 143 Snelling Ave N, St Paul, MN 55104, USA
